President Donald Trump has rejected a resolution from the
Congress to end the 4-year old Yemen war which has killed tens of thousands of people and spawned what
the United Nations calls the world's most dire humanitarian crisis, with the
country on the brink of famine.

The resolution passed the House of
Representatives in April and the Senate in March, marking the first time both
chambers of Congress had supported a War Powers resolution, which limits the
president's ability to send troops into action.

Trump wrote explaining why he issued the veto: "This
resolution is an unnecessary, dangerous attempt to weaken my constitutional
authorities, endangering the lives of American citizens and brave service
members, both today and in the future."

The
president also argued the resolution would "harm the foreign policy of the
United States" and "harm our bilateral relationships."

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"Peace
in Yemen requires a negotiated settlement," the president said. He also
highlighted that the US was not actively engaged in hostilities, except against
al-Qaeda extremists.

The
move marked the second time that Trump has used his veto power to reject a bill
from the legislature. To override the president's veto, the resolution would
need a two-thirds majority, which it currently does not have in the deeply
divided Congress.

The
resolution's approval in both the House of Representatives and the Senate had
been seen as a historic milestone already, as it was the first time that a bill
invoking the 1973 War Powers Resolution reached the president's desk.

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Trump issued his first veto last month on
legislation related to immigration. Trump had declared a national emergency so
he could use more money to construct a border wall. Congress voted to block the
emergency declaration and Trump vetoed that measure.

President
Trump also said that the measure would harm bilateral relations and interferes
with his constitutional power as commander in chief.He said the
U.S. is providing the support to protect the safety of more than 80,000
Americans who live in certain areas of the coalition countries subject to
Houthi attacks from Yemen.

"Houthis,
supported by Iran, have used missiles, armed drones and explosive boats to attack
civilian and military targets in those coalition countries, including areas
frequented by American citizens, such as the airport in Riyadh, Saudi
Arabia," Trump said. "In addition, the conflict in Yemen represents a
'cheap' and inexpensive way for Iran to cause trouble for the United States and
for our ally, Saudi Arabia."

Tellingly, President
Trump's veto on Saudi-led war in Yemen came as Princess Reema Bint Bandar Bin
Sultan, who took oath of office as the Kingdom's first female ambassador to the
US. Princess Reema is the daughter of Prince Bandar bin Sultan, who was Saudi
ambassador from 1983 to 2005.

Not surprisingly, United Arab Emirates
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash swiftly welcomed Trump's
veto. "President Trump's assertion of support to the Arab Coalition in
Yemen is a positive signal," Gargash said on Twitter. The decision is both
"timely and strategic" he added. The UAE is the Saudi
Arabia's principal ally in the coalition.

Ro Khanna: Trump was risking the lives of
millions: Democratic
Congressman Ro Khanna, sponsor of the resolution, said Trump was "risking
the lives of millions of Yemeni civilians to famine, deadly airstrikes, and the
war crimes of the Saudi regime."

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House
Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement saying: "The conflict in Yemen is
a horrific humanitarian crisis that challenges the conscience of the entire
world. Yet the President has cynically chosen to contravene a bipartisan,
bicameral vote of the Congress and perpetuate America's shameful involvement in
this heartbreaking crisis."

Pelosi
added: "This conflict must end, now. The House of Representatives calls on
the President to put peace before politics, and work with us to advance an
enduring solution to end this crisis and save lives."

International
Rescue Committee president and CEO David Miliband said that vetoing the measure
represents an "effective green light for the war strategy that has created
the world's worst humanitarian crisis to continue."

Author and journalist.
Author of
Islamic Pakistan: Illusions & Reality;
Islam in the Post-Cold War Era;
Islam & Modernism;
Islam & Muslims in the Post-9/11 America.
Currently working as free lance journalist.
Executive Editor of American (more...)

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